Those 24 hours were the longest and most tiring earth’s gyration of my life. I still find it hard to recollect that when and where I slept that night. But the Time melted, the cruel first light of the sun stroked my eyes and I found my self covered in white sheet on a folding bed at roof top.
When I crawled down, I finally found something to cherish about. There was less foot fall on the floor, found very few shouting and running kids and their parents chasing them, teaching etiquettes and manners as if they have never passed through this stage of life.
I have never understood why these parents burdened their kids with matured thoughts (their definition of mature ness) on the growing kids, without realizing the heinous crime of curbing the amazing joy of childhood.
I spotted Ravi at corner of the dinning hall. When I approached him in order to know about the status of rush (this reminds me about a analogy that when ever you want to measure Inflation in your area buy eggs, of course when there’s no flu killing the birds :) ) and elongation of his muscles, he gave a very happy look.
Perhaps thinking that it’s a right time, he mentioned that since the exodus of relatives was on progress, even he would like a take a half day off. He added that his mother has been diagnosed with tumor in stomach (not very serious type, though) and he has to take her to Lucknow medical college at the end of that week. At last, hesitatingly he added that he needed his accounts to be done, assurancing that he’ll be coming back next week, if needed.
Lately the word ‘hospital’ has started haunting me like never before. First it was Tulsi now its Ravi’s mother; I patted my self for taking a 90 degree turn from that profession after my 12th exams. I believe meeting a code delivery deadline is much happier a job than improving some one’s lifeline everyday.
I assured Ravi that we will be more than happy to give him the money which he deserved and more than that, why a hesitation in asking for something which he was entitled for.
Some time I think that Almighty has definitely got some thing wrong in his Rule book else a 15 year old would not have seen so many difficult moments of life so soon.
Sanjay hurried in front from me that afternoon; making me to think that when did I see him taking rest last time. When I stopped him asking what he is rushing about, he mentioned that every thing should come to normality before he leaves for village next morning. And that included, moving spices back to kitchen, unused cold drink boxes back to store, gas cylinders back to the people whom it belong to …
He was man of never ending agenda and never tiring muscles and attitude.
That night even I started packing my bags. I find this task as toughest part of the journey, thanks to my mom who used to do it for me during my boarding school days, but now I can’t ask her also. I have never understood why people fold their cloths properly even though they know that there’s no guarantee that they will get it intact/fresh at the destination, Hello… we travel in Indian railway, where you have to fight for the bag space under you seat, so what, even if it belongs to you, the other co-traveler came first !!!
All my bags were packed and I was ready to go. I was standing near outside the door, and I hate to raise my hand, and say good bye to every body, but the driver was waiting and blowing the horn.
I felt that I was forgetting something but that feeling was not new, it comes every time (like deja vu ) when I am about to leave. But it has true meaning also, last time I had forgotten my tooth brush, mobile charger and Mumbai’s flat key. So here I saw, trying hard to recollect every thing. But couldn’t find any, perhaps I was improving lately.
Went inside the car, putting my bags on the back seat, I scroll down the window to wave everybody.
Suddenly I realized that I didn’t see Tulsi and his wife in last 24 hours. I asked to my father in loud voice, “how is Tulsi, Papa? Is he back from the hospital? We need to make that guy realize that he is jeopardizing the future of his 4 unmarried girls”
It looked as if he overlooked my question and nodded unwillingly. I asked the driver to slow down and again asked it aloud.
I got a reply that Tulsi was dead, he died with in an hour of his arrival to hospital, while getting his first and last bottle of the syringed diet ……..
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